Machine exercise

Seated Calf Raise (Machine) form, muscles worked, and workout tracking

The seated calf raise isolates the soleus, the deeper of the two main calf muscles, by performing plantar flexion with the knees bent. Because the bent-knee position takes the gastrocnemius out of its strongest line of pull, the seated variation is the primary tool for building soleus thickness, ankle stability, and lower-leg endurance.

Seated Calf Raise (Machine) illustration

How to do Seated Calf Raise (Machine)

  1. 1Sit on the machine with the balls of your feet on the platform and your knees pinned snugly under the thigh pad.
  2. 2Release the safety lever and let your heels drop below the platform until you feel a deep stretch through the soleus.
  3. 3Brace your core, keep your knees pointing straight ahead, and avoid bouncing out of the bottom.
  4. 4Exhale as you press the balls of your feet down to rise onto your toes, squeezing the calves at the top.
  5. 5Inhale as you lower under control back to a full stretch; repeat for the prescribed reps without letting the weight slam.

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Track Seated Calf Raise (Machine) in Plates

Save this movement to a workout template, log sets and rest periods, and keep your training history in one focused gym tracker.